


ouroboros

by j_beavis



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - New Cycle, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst, Good Ganondorf, M/M, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2020-11-07 18:17:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20821715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_beavis/pseuds/j_beavis
Summary: Ganondorf has been sealed away, never to return.However, a hundred years later, fate has rewound.Will the prophecy be fulfilled?More importantly, must it be?





	1. Prologue

“CURSE YOU… ZELDA! CURSE YOU… SAGES! CURSE YOU… LINK!” screams Ganon, as he is being sealed away.

“Someday… when this seal is broken… That is when I will exterminate your descendants!!” You can barely see him now; his body being swallowed by holy light.

“As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand…”

You and Zelda stand, breathless and bloodied, at the ruins of Hyrule Castle. It is quiet, quieter than it has been in a long time. You embrace, happy to have someone to hold.

“We did it… he’s gone,” she says, speaking into your shoulder.

You open your mouth to agree, to celebrate with her, but you can’t. 

“Link?”

“Do you think what he said had any meaning?” you ask.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think he’ll come back?” 

For a moment, all you hear is the ringing in your ears and the distant, soft sound of wind flowing through the trees reminding you that you are alive.

“I cannot say that I think he will. Those were the desperate words of a man who knew he had lost, who wanted to strike fear in his last moments.

“No,” she says, looking up into your eyes, “I am certain that he will never hurt us again.”

  
  



	2. clouds shaped like fate

“Zel'! Zel'!” 

A little voice calls through the empty hallways of Hyrule Castle. Rapid little footsteps follow, with little taps against the polished marble floors.

The young princess giggles from her hiding spot. She, like all women born into the Hyrule royal family, is named Zelda, and she is absolutely positive that he won’t find her, despite the fact that her little feet are poking out from underneath the curtain where she hides.

Link, Zelda’s playmate for the day, knows that he's approaching her. He can hear her. Regardless, he slows down when he gets to the window, drawing out the game for as long as he can. 

“Oh, Zeldaaaaa! Where could you be?” he asks dramatically, before grabbing the curtain and swinging it open, revealing a nine-year-old Zelda with her hands over her mouth. 

“D’aw, you found me!” 

“I could hear you from all the way down there! Your giggling was so loud.”

“I couldn’t help it!”

200 years have past since the Gerudo King Ganondorf was defeated, and Hyrule now exists in a state of peace and tranquillity. The sun rises and sets on a smiling land, one filled with people who go to bed excited for the day to come. Link has descended from the legendary hero who vanquished the evil King, and he spends his days playing with his friend in her castle whilst his uncle protects the King as his knight.

“Ok, Link, your turn!” Zelda says, and she covers her eyes and starts to count. Link speeds off down the hallways, through twists and turns, past guards and servants, until he realises that he is lost. It’s not the first time that Link has gotten lost in the castle, and it’s unlikely to be his last. Eventually, he wanders into a great hall that be hasn't been in before. It would strike him as odd that such a large room is out of use and without guards, if you weren’t a child. 

On the far side of the room, on the wall, is a mural. In the centre lies the Triforce, being heralded by the Goddesses. To one side, a Knight, who wields the sword that seals the darkness. To the other, Goddess Hylia incarnate, the Princess. Beneath the Triforce, arms outstretched, reaching to grab it, to have it for his own, the King. And, circling around the borders of the mural, a snake biting its own tail. Link stands in the middle of this room, looking at it for long enough for Zelda to have come in and find him. 

“Link, you’re not even hiding! C’mon, at least…” she starts, before seeing what made him stop.

“Zel', what is this?”

“Oh, I—” 

“Princess Zelda!” says Link's uncle, interrupting her. He’s appeared at the door, out of breath, not at all happy that he had to track the young princess down through the winding corridors of the castle. “Your presence is required in the main hall.”

She sighs and walks out the room. She’s only nine years old, but already too used to having her fun cut short. 

“You too, Link,” he says, and he follows suit.

King Rhoam is an impressive man to say the least. He’s sitting at his throne, but he still seems impossibly large. It could be because Link is only a little boy, but hes get the impression that you could be 10 feet tall and still feel dwarfed by him.

“Princess. Generals. Knights. My informants have brought to my attention that the Gerudo have a new King.”

This creates hushed mutterings in the crowd of Hyrule elites that have gathered before the throne. 

“I am sure that you all know what this means for our people, and the fulfilment of fate. He will succumb to the darkness in his heart, and our way of life will be brought to a violent and bloody end. 

However, if fate has delivered the world a King, it must have also delivered the two blessed by the Goddess. Fear not. Fate will ensure that the Gerudo will be slain, his body butchered, and his home burned. He will never be able to hurt us again.”

There is a disturbance in the crowd. The princess is running through the hall, tears in her eyes, pushing nobles who try to stop her away. Link tries to run after her, to comfort her, but he is held back by his uncle.

“Know your place, Link,” he says in Link's ear, as he struggles against him. “Let her go.”

* * *

"Hmm… I think THAT one looks like a tree."

A breeze blows through the grass, making the flowers that dot Hyrule field dance in the wind. A Gerudo boy has his arm outstretched, pointing up at the clouds. He lays on the ground, the top of his head touching the top of the Princess Zelda's.

"I was going to suggest a broom, but yes, I can see a tree," she says.

"And that one! I think it looks like a crown," he says, pointing to another cloud.

"Mm. I suppose it does."

"And that one? A horse. No! A fist."

"Mm," is all the Princess says in reply.

The Gerudo boy sits up and looks at Zelda. 

"Is something the matter, Zelda?" He asks. She sits up too, shuffling around to face him.

"It's… nothing. Don't worry about it, please."

"Zel'…"

"Please. Let's cloud gaze again." Her body is completely still, her muscles almost shuddering in her effort to not move. Though she is facing the boy, she can't bring herself to look at him.

The boy touches her shoulder and like lightning she darts away from his touch.

"Zelda, please, tell me what's wrong!"

Finally, she looks him in the eyes. She's tearing up the grass with her little fists. 

"My father knows about you, Ganondorf."

They sit in silence for a while as he ponders the meaning of her words.

"He believes that you'll succumb to the darkness in your heart," she continues, "and that you will bring about the end of our world, and that Link must slaughter you. He wants you dead, Gan'".

Ganondorf has gone pale. 

"Does… does he know that we…"

"No, he knows nothing of our meetings, but he knows that you are the new King," Zelda's shoulders drop and she starts tracing the palm of her hand, where the grass she tore up has stained her skin. "I'm _afraid_. My father is a terrifying man. If he wants you dead, he will go to any lengths to see it through. And… and I'm afraid that he will make me be the one to deliver the final blow."

"Do… do YOU believe those things about me? Do you believe that I'll do those things?"

Zelda gives him a slight smile. "Of course not. You're my friend. I know you, and I know that you are the most stubborn person on the planet. I know that if you don't want to be what the prophecy says you should be, you won't be."

Ganondorf smiles back. Just her saying that has given him relief. "Thanks, Zel'. But… what now?"

She puts her finger on her bottom lip, as she tends to when she is thinking, and replies, "Link has to meet you-- now, before he learns about his role in the prophecy."

"Are you sure? What if he tells your father where I am?"

"I am quite sure," She starts getting a picnic out of a large wicker basket that she has brought, laying out a blanket and various sandwiches, cakes and fruits. "I would trust Link with my life. Besides, he's bound to like you. I predict that you'll be best friends before long."

"I AM very charismatic," Ganondorf says with a little flick of his fiery red hair. He's met with a giggle from Zelda.

"Then it's decided. The next time we meet, I'll bring my knight. Together we'll make our own fate."


	3. fighting fire with fire

"Loosen your shoulders! They're too tense!"

The sound of metal scraping harshly against metal fills the warm evening air. The clang of swords colliding assaults the ears of 16-year-old Zelda, Link and Ganondorf.

Breathing heavily, Link corrects his stance and lifts the master sword above his head to deflect a cut.

"Let your feet defend you, not your sword!" Ganondorf shouts. He lunges forwards again, swiping for the Link's chest. Link tries to deflect it again, but Ganondorf presses him, pushing the swords together towards his body. 

Their faces are mere inches away from each other. Link's thin arms struggle against towering Gerudo might. 

Quickly, Link darts backwards, getting away from the conflict for a moment, before pouncing, the tip of the sword aimed at the Gerudo's heart. But as soon as his feet had left the ground, Ganondorf batted his outstretched sword out of the air, the blade flying off to the side, Link stumbling forwards with nothing in his hand. He trips Link over onto his behind and gives a hearty laugh.

Zelda laughs too, having looked up from her book just in time to see her knight fall. She's sitting on a blanket, cross-legged under a nearby tree.

"Honestly, Link," she giggles, "as brave as you are, you are not invincible. Please be a bit more careful with your strategy."

"Yeah," says Ganondorf, giving Link a hand up, "as much as I'd love to see you vanquish evil sitting on your rear, it might pose a bit of a challenge for you. It'd be much easier to do standing."

"Har har, very funny. I'm not used to the master sword yet! That's all," Link says, brushing himself off with a little smile on his lips. Technically, it was true. The three had spent the last week and a half trekking up Mount Lanayru in search of the sword that seals the darkness, and they had only recovered it the day before. On their way back down, whilst waiting for the sun to disappear over the horizon, Link and Ganondorf tested the blade out beneath the Mountain's peak.

After the giggling fit ends, the three settle around a fire to enjoy a meal that Link had made. It's venison, made with the meat that Link had hunted, the herbs that Zelda had gathered and the salt that Ganondorf had brought when they met up with him in the Gerudo desert. When they meet, it's in secret, as the King hunts him still. Still, search parties roam the land searching for Ganondorf, never more than a day's journey behind him. He has had to adapt to the constant threat of assassination. But, as far as his Hylian friends know, he's handling it amazingly. 

* * *

It's night now, and only Zelda and Link are around the fire. Unlike Ganondorf, who is snoring under clear night sky, neither of them can sleep.

"The moon is full tonight," Zelda says, resting her head on Link's shoulder. He replies with a hum of agreement.

"And the stars are beautiful. See that constellation there? That's Gemini, the twins. Isn't it remarkable that we're looking up at the same stars that people on the other side of the globe look up to? The same stars that our ancestors looked up to?"

Link isn't looking at the sky at all. He's focused on the fire blazing in front of him, studying its every flicker and dance. Still, he gives a noise in acknowledgement. "They say that those born under the Gemini constellation are great intellectuals, you know. Of course, it's a lot of hogwash. Nobody is born destined for anything," Zelda continues, stressing the last sentence especially. Link doesn't respond. 

"Link… what is upsetting you?" 

"Nothing, Princess, honestly,"

"Is it… your 18th birthday?" At this, Link finally looks up at her.

"Y-yes. I'm… worried," 

"About the prophecy?"

"Yes. It's just… my upcoming birthday is starting to feel more like my death date. In all the years before it, I have been free to… wander. To explore what I want to do and who I am. Free to do as I please, at least to some extent. When I turn 18, I'll have to leave that behind. I'll be a Knight, and a Knight is all I'll be. Forever. The boy I am, the boy I dream about being, will die. Link will be no more, and Link the boy will rise from his ashes. My autonomy, my perfect dream, it will all go away,"

This surprises Zelda. Link always appears to fully be in control of his emotions, never faltering, perfectly stoic. He is rather like Ganondorf in that regard. But here he is, close to tears, spilling his heart out to her, professing his fear of losing his childhood.

"Link, I'm so sorry-"

"Is it selfish? Is it selfish that I don't want to be a Knight? I want to be so much more. I hate fighting. I always have. Fighting is what you do when you want to hurt someone, and I have never wanted to hurt anyone," Link takes a deep breath, and his breath shakes as he exhales. 

"Especially not him. That's the worse part. Knowing that eventually… I'll have to do what I am told I have to do and I'll have to use that awful fucking sword and I'll have to… I'll have to…" Zelda wraps her arms around him, stopping him.

"We joke about it… but I'm so scared. I'm terrified, 'Zel."

Little did they know, the sound of snoring stopped halfway into Links confession. Later, when Ganondorf is sure that Zelda and Link are asleep, he rises and goes towards the embers of the fire. Lying next to it, its silver blade reflecting the soft glow of the flames, lies the master sword. He kneels, and stares at it for a while. Eventually, he reaches out, hesitates, but touches the blade. Instantly, his fingertips scream out in agony. It is the worst pain that he has ever felt, like a thousand thorns are wrapping themselves around his hand, devouring his flesh and burning his bones. He recoils in agony, stifles a scream, and looks back at the Hylians to make sure that they hadn't seen him. Anxiously, he crawls back to his sleeping bag. He does not sleep again that night.


End file.
